'When the Potter
has wrought the clay either into hollow or flat ware,
they are set abroad to dry in fair weather, but by the fire in foule,
turning them as they see occasion, which they call whaving:
when they are dry they stouk them, i.e. put Ears and
Handles to such Vessels as require them: These also being dry,
they then Slip or paint them with their severall sorts
of Slip, according as they designe their work, when
the first Slip is dry, laying on the others at their
leasure, the Orange Slip makeing the ground, and the white
and red, the paint; which two colours they break
with a wire brush, much after the manner they doe when they
marble paper, and then cloud them with a pensil
when they are pretty dry.' (Plot 1686 p 122).

Plot's explanation
is brief but explicit. The hollow wares would include cups, posset pots
and porringers, all drinking vessels, some for communal drinking, some
finer examples for celebration or display only. The flat wares were
dishes or plates for serving food or for display. Flat wares could be
thrown or press-moulded, the latter would have a 'pie-crust' rim-edge
decoration. It is sometimes possible to see that this was impressed
using a cockle shell.

Slip decoration
was a highly developed skill. Once the 'ground' or undercoat slip was
dry, the slip decoration was executed (here Plot describes slipcombing);
the combing had to take place speedily before the newly applied slip
dried into the 'ground', and became unworkable.